Joanna Lambert

Joanna Lambert (the pen name of Audrey Hawkins) is the writer of the ‘Behind Blue Eyes’ trilogy; When Tomorrow Comes, Love, Lies and Promises and most recently, The Ghost of You and Me. She’s about to embark on her fourth novel.
We were very pleased to be able to chat with Joanna about her writing life…

What was your route to publication like?

I completed In Sunshine and in Shadow, as the manuscript was originally called, began submitting, failed to interest any agents and then decided to shelve for a while and get on with some short story writing.  Then a conversation at work about hobbies  resulted in the manuscript being circulated for a few book lovers to read.  Up until that time my work had been for my eyes only so I had no idea how it would be received.  I asked for honest, constructive feedback and what came back was so positive that I knew I had to finish the journey and get it published.

Describe your typical writing day?

As I work full time I have to squeeze my writing into evenings and weekends; it’s whenever I can tuck time in.  I do, however, make sure I have protected periods to actually put my thoughts onto the PC.  I usually manage a couple of hours each evening and, social life permitting, at least five hours at the weekend.  Also a notebook and pen in my bag are a must so I can scribble ideas down as soon as they come into my head.

Where do you find inspiration?

Music is a very big influence.  Sting’s ‘Fields of Gold’ was the inspiration for ‘In Sunshine or in Shadow’ – the working title of my original manuscript. Inspiration is all around you – an overheard conversation, people you meet, events that happen.   I’m quite a mental hoarder too which is quite useful.

You are just about (have just published) the third book in your ‘Behind Blue Eyes’ trilogy. Tell us about the books? How did this series come about?

When In Sunshine or in Shadow was accepted for publication it was on the condition that I split it into two or three parts as the publisher felt it was too big as a single novel.   Achieving this was a long hard slog mostly because I had to make sure each book could be read as an independent novel.  Therefore it wasn’t just a case of writing two new beginnings and two new endings within the three novels; each one had to be completely reworked.   It’s a family saga and a love story, but it is also about family ties, friendships and betrayal.   It shows how one individual’s actions can impact on others and change the course of their lives.  Ella, Rachel, Jenny and Issy are four friends growing up in a provincial West Country town.    Their lives and loves, against a backdrop of the 1960s are woven through the three novels, although it is Ella’s ill-fated relationship with Matt which is central to the plot.   Ella has a fairly comfortable middle class life, but she certainly has a tough time of it with her manipulative mother behind the scenes secretly controlling her life choices.  In a nutshell, it’s a classic tale of good and evil.  Is there a happy ending?  Well you’ll have to read the trilogy to find out!

How much planning did you undertake prior to beginning these books?

For the original manuscript, virtually none.  I had a rough storyline which I began to flesh out by writing various scenes as they came into my head.  None of it was in chronological order, but I made sure once I was happy with a scene, it was incorporated into a single file.  I gradually built the book that way and chose a diarised construction because this seemed like an easy way of joining it all together – I borrowed this from Shirley Conran’s Crimson which was written that way.  As for writing, I just went where the story took me.  Some things worked and some didn’t and had to be changed.   However, when faced with turning it into three separate novels, I kept a detailed notebook and a work diary to plan what needed to be done.  It was quite complicated and not something I’d want to do again in a hurry!  Publishing the three books has been a great learning curve – so much so that the next book, which I have already plotted, will be approached in a much more organized manner.

How do you approach the editing process?

Someone many years ago told me we read what we want to see and I think that is very true. The eye can be a great deceiver.   As the writer, you are so close to what you have written that sometimes you miss things.  A fresh pair of eyes is essential, but when I am checking I find it useful to read out loud as this is the best way to test whether the whole thing sounds OK nor not.   I did a lot of editing in books 2 and 3 – sometimes you get it right first time round, but very often when reading through you can always see a better way of describing something or wording a conversation.  It’s a case of write and re-write until you’re really happy with it.

Best/worst thing about being a writer?

The best is escaping into that parallel world where you are in charge of what goes on – although very often that parallel world tends to be in charge of you and what you write!  And, of course, at the end there’s the book.  Holding something you have created and knowing that all the hard work, all bad nights (or days) when you wanted to give up but didn’t, were worth it. The worst, I guess, is that it can be quite a solitary occupation at times.

Who would your ideal dinner guests be?

A pretty diverse lot – Martin Shaw, Michael Palin, George Clooney, Twiggy, Victoria Wood and Celia Imrie.  And two of my close friends who would never forgive me if George Clooney came to dinner and they weren’t invited!

Which authors do you admire?

Rosalind Miles – I loved her Guinevere trilogy.  Phillipa Gregory too – think I’ve read everything she has written.  Lesley Pearse for giving us unforgettable heroines – and Mary Wesley, who started her writing career at the grand old age of 75!

Is there a book by another author that you wished you’d written?

Emily Brontё’s Wuthering Heights

Most important thing you’ve learnt so far about the writing process?

That it’s hard work and doesn’t always go to plan – patience and determination are a must.

Top five tips for aspiring writers.

• If you want to write but aren’t sure how to go about it, join a Creative Writing Group – it’s great for networking as well as developing your writing skills.
• Also useful for those starting out, the Creative Writing Coursebook (available on Amazon) is a really helpful guide.
• Do as much reading as you can, preferably by authors who write the kind of  book you are hoping to write.
• Always remember your key task is to entertain the reader
• There are no rules for writing, it’s an individual thing.  Some writers plan it with military precision; others just sketch out a structure and then go with the flow.  It’s up to you to take the path you feel most comfortable with.
• Once you have completed the first draft of your manuscript give yourself a short break before starting to edit.  Not only will you come back to your work much fresher, you’ll see the whole thing more objectively.

 To visit Joanna’s website, click here. 

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Laura

I’m Laura. I started Novel Kicks in 2009. I wanted a place to post my writing as well as give other writers like me the opportunity to do the same. There is also a monthly book club, a writing room which features writing prompts, book reviews, competitions, author interviews and guest posts.

I grew up by the sea (my favourite place in the world) and I currently live in Hampshire. I am married to Chris, have a cat named Buddy and I would love to be a writer. I’m trying to write the novel I’ve talked so much about writing if only I could stop pressing delete. I’ve loved writing since creative writing classes in primary school. I have always wanted to see my teacher Miss Sayers again and thank her for the encouragement. When not trying to write the novel or writing snippets of stories on anything I can get my hands on, I love reading, dancing like a loon and singing to myself very badly. My current obsession is Once Upon a Time and I would be happy to live with magic in the enchanted forest surrounded by all those wonderful stories provided that world also included Harry Potter. I love reading chick lit. contemporary fiction and novels with mystery.